Helping People Help Themselves in Pays Pourri, Haiti

     The people of Pays Pourri are not sitting around waiting for the government or an NGO to fix their problems. They know that they need a road to be able to sell their produce. For 3 weeks now, 200 to 300 people have volunteered to work on the road on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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     Many walk 3 hours to where the road is being built. They work all morning before getting a cup of sugar water and a piece of bread about 11:00 or 12:00. Then they work all afternoon before getting a plate of rice and beans at about 3:00 or 4:00.

 Cutting in the road with picks, shovels, hoes, and sledge hammers.

The women hauling rocks to build the dry stack rock walls.

Carrying water up to the workers

 The line of people working.

Planting Vetiver grass for erosion control.

Mixing the suger water.

 Plates dished out ready to serve.

 Eating rice and beans on the mountainside.

     In 2012, Hurricanes Isaac and Sandy destroyed the corn and bean crops. Hunger is normal in Pays Pourri, but now the situation is desperate. Thanks to Christian Aid Ministries, we were able to give out food boxes. This is how we started repairing the road. The road was started in 2010, but there was not enough funding to finish the road. So when we received the food boxes for Pays Pourri, we started a "Food for Work" program. The people would come and work on the road and erosion control projects to get a food box.

     The people of Pays Pourri want to keep volunteering to work on the road. We have been working with Eralus and O.P.A.P.P.  (Organisation of Planters for the Advancement of Pays Pourri) to buy the food to feed the volunteers. Please pray that God would provide if He wants us to continue helping on the road.

     There are several spots on the road that we will have to have a bulldozer. We have access to a bulldozer, but we would need to pay the operator and buy the fuel. This could cost approximately $7,000 to finish the road to the top of the mountain. After it is up on top, the people can easily have work days to take the road to the different villages.

Taking a sick lady down the new road on the 4 wheeler.